I have recently retired from my current job albeit at 55 years old and was looking at doing a little bit of HGV work on the odd days.
In 1984/5 I passed my HGV class 3 in the military and drove class 3 vehicles up until 1991.
I never renewed my licence from this point.
Since retiring I have contacted DVLA via email and they have said that I did not need to resit the driver test but I did need to complete a D2 and D4 form which I have done and sent off with my licence.
My licence has been returned it is a new licence but it does not show my Cat C entitlement. I have tried to contact DVLA but it is proving a little difficult at this time.
Can anyone confirm if I am entitled to have a Cat C entitlement on my licence?
As I am not aware what happened when they changed the category system.
Theoretically you should have it but we had another member (Stevespain) who passed his Class 3 in the military and DVLA claimed to have no record of it, he even got his old CO to write to DVLA confirming this but he never got anywhere as far as I’m aware. Perhaps if he reads this he might have some advice.
Thanks Harry. I managed to contact DVLA this morning and they have raised a query with their investigating team so hopefully they find something. I did renew my licence once in ‘civvy’ street as I left the military in 1987. I am hoping that it has just dropped off over time.
This thread (which I referred to above) may be of some use to you.
Gazzazza:
Thanks Harry. I managed to contact DVLA this morning and they have raised a query with their investigating team so hopefully they find something. I did renew my licence once in ‘civvy’ street as I left the military in 1987. I am hoping that it has just dropped off over time.
Driver licensing and acquired rights
There are now several separate instances of acquired rights applying to driver licensing.
From 1997, Great Britain adopted the new EU unified licence and categories for all new issues and the old UK HGV classes 1, 2 and 3 were replaced by category C and C+E.
HGV class 3 related to rigid vehicles over 7.5 tonnes with 2 axles
HGV class 2 related to rigid vehicles over 7.5 tonnes with more than 2 axles
HGV class 1 related to articulated vehicles over 7.5 tonnes
Class 2 and 3 licences also allowed a drawbar trailer to be towed.
The new category C covered all rigid vehicles (any number of axles but without a trailer) over 3.5 tonnes and C+E covered articulated vehicles and rigid vehicles towing a drawbar trailer. At the change, drivers with old class 3 licences (2-axle rigid) gained the category C entitlement to drive rigid vehicles with any number of axles (a combination of the old class 3 and 2).
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There used to be an HGV Class 4 as well. Not a lot of people know that, as Michael Caine would say.
Yeah I remember dinky railway wagons amongst others. 
A wee artic. 
jakethesnake:
Yeah I remember dinky railway wagons amongst others.A wee artic.
Would those be the 3 wheelers with the old fashioned couplings?
WhiteTruckMan:
jakethesnake:
Yeah I remember dinky railway wagons amongst others.A wee artic.
Would those be the 3 wheelers with the old fashioned couplings?
These I think.
Harry Monk:
WhiteTruckMan:
jakethesnake:
Yeah I remember dinky railway wagons amongst others.A wee artic.
Would those be the 3 wheelers with the old fashioned couplings?
These I think.
HGV class 4: articulated vehicle where the unit weighs less than 2 Tons (3 wheelers used by post office and railways. Scammell’s)
WhiteTruckMan:
jakethesnake:
Yeah I remember dinky railway wagons amongst others.A wee artic.
Would those be the 3 wheelers with the old fashioned couplings?
That’s the ones, could not remember their make but thankfully been reminded… Scammell.
jakethesnake:
WhiteTruckMan:
jakethesnake:
Yeah I remember dinky railway wagons amongst others.A wee artic.
Would those be the 3 wheelers with the old fashioned couplings?
That’s the ones, could not remember their make but thankfully been reminded… Scammell.
I seem to remember yellow ones as well but it’s a long long time ago. 
I think the Yellows ones were British Railways, the Green ones were B R S. But that was al least 50 years ago lol
All,
thankyou very much for your comments.
Update… i now have my licence updated from the DVLA eventually showing the CAT C entitlement but i am also a little confused as it says that i now have a CAT CE entitlement but with code 102 attached (Draw bar trailer only). I have never passed Class 1 which i assume is CAT CE so why would it show i can drive this class??
This:
Class 2 and 3 licences also allowed a drawbar trailer to be towed
jamdoms:
This:
Class 2 and 3 licences also allowed a drawbar trailer to be towed
Yeah, that’s correct. They had silly rules back then as well.
I bought a 57 seater coach to take my class D driving test, it would have worked out cheaper than going to a driving school. I couldn’t drive it unless I displayed L plates and had a qualified driver with me. This was despite having passed my class 3 and class 1 driving tests over twenty years earlier.
I passed my class D test and was then able to take it out on my own. Three years later I was allowed to drive it on a car licence because it was thirty years old and not used for hire or reward.
Does any of that make any sense?
waddy640:
I bought a 57 seater coach to take my class D driving test, it would have worked out cheaper than going to a driving school. I couldn’t drive it unless I displayed L plates and had a qualified driver with me. This was despite having passed my class 3 and class 1 driving tests over twenty years earlier.I passed my class D test and was then able to take it out on my own. Three years later I was allowed to drive it on a car licence because it was thirty years old and not used for hire or reward.
Does any of that make any sense?
Yeah absolutely crazy, makes you wonder who thinks up these rules. I remember car drivers being allowed to drive a coach being used as a berry bus. And as long as you were not carrying fare paying passengers it was fine. 
> jakethesnake:
> I remember car drivers being allowed to drive a coach being used as a berry bus. And as long as you were not carrying fare paying passengers it was fine.
I presume your reference to fare paying customers means you are referring to a Berry Bush not a Berry Bus ■■?
Government rules havent ever made a lot of sense. Its only recently that driving examiners have had to hold a class 1 to examine class 11 test candidates. The mobile cranes were classed as plant so car drivers could use them.